The empathy advantage of highly sensitive kids Not only do highly sensitive kids show more creativity, awareness and openness than less-sensitive kids, but they possess an underappreciated trait: empathy. In one study, researchers had participants looked at photos of people either smiling or looking sad.
Having a highly sensitive child is a gift, and your child has many strengths like a strong intuition, empathy, and creativity. Highly sensitive children also have unique needs. If you feel like you're struggling with raising your highly sensitive child, it may help to have an outside perspective.
Because of their appreciation for beauty, highly sensitive kids love activities where they can tap into their creative side. Activities such as art, music, dancing, video editing, design, and fashion may be areas they show an interest.
Highly sensitive people tend to be conscientious and empathetic and may notice subtle changes in their interactions and environment. Some benefits include: Social skills: HSPs tend to notice things others do not. Picking up on body language and other subtle cues may help them develop strong social skills.
Many gifted children are highly sensitive individuals. 1 They may take things personally and become upset by words and deeds that other children may easily ignore or get over quickly.
A highly sensitive child is a child that is more sensitive and often also more reactive to environmental influences. Such children are acutely aware of the outside world, and they're quick to react to subtle changes in everything around them. They are hyper-aware of the sounds, smells, and temperature around them.
They are more prone to meltdowns.
Because of their sensitivity, HS children get triggered to experience stress more quickly. They get overwhelmed by their big emotions and outsized reactions to sensory input which naturally results in more frequent and intense meltdowns.
Yes, there seem to be overlaps in being a HSP with level 1 Autism, or Asperger's. Although Dr Elaine Aron has explicitly said that HSP is not the same as Autism or Asperger's, this could just be a matter of labels and categorisation in the research as outdated definitions of Autism were used.
Not only are HSPs extra sensitive to environmental stimulation, they're also sensitive emotionally. According to Dr. Elaine Aaron, author of The Highly Sensitive Person, sensitive people tend to cry more easily than others.
Differences Between HSPs and ADHD
HSPs tend to think before they act, while people with ADHD tend to be a little more impulsive and can act before thinking things through. In calm environments, HSPs can be well-focused. Those with ADHD can have trouble focusing and may even appear bored in calm environments.
In all likelihood, your sensitive toddler will one day grow into a sensitive adult. And while she'll probably still still feel things intensely, the positive aspects of sensitivity — being creative, observant, intuitive, thoughtful, artistic and empathetic — will emerge even more as she gets older.
HSPs are typically highly intelligent, and seek out opportunities to do deep work.
The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others. They just use emotional intelligence differently.
In fact, Albert Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers of our time, was believed to have been highly sensitive and is quoted as saying, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
Most highly sensitive people display rare strengths in key areas of emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient (EQ) — the ability to recognize and understand emotions in themselves and others. These strengths including self-awareness and social-awareness.
Due to traits of their personality, heightened empathy or childhood conditioning, many highly sensitive people have repressed anger, and do not know how to deal with their emotions healthily.
They're more thoughtful: HSPs process information and reflect on it more thoroughly. This trait enables them to pay closer attention to details than the average person. Being thoughtful also helps them capture subtle information that others might overlook.
'Don't be so sensitive' may be the worst thing you can say to a sensitive child, says parenting expert, Dr Justin Coulson. If you have been a parent for more than a few minutes, you might have noticed something about children and sensitivity – most children are inherently sensitive.
It is an attribute common in people with ADHD. Symptoms of hypersensitivity include being highly sensitive to physical (via sound, sight, touch, or smell) and or emotional stimuli and the tendency to be easily overwhelmed by too much information.
Being an HSP comes with both advantages and challenges. It is possible to be too easily offended by people who mean no harm or who are trying their best to be kind. It is also possible to overreact to daily stressors or relationship issues, particularly if you become emotionally aggressive as a response.
Highly sensitive people (HSPs) tend to get overwhelmed or over-stimulated because they “process more information from their environment and from within than others do,” said Jean Fitzpatrick, LP, a psychotherapist who specializes in working with HSPs. With Bezzy for Depression, you're never alone.
Bjelland noted a belief that all empaths are HSPs, but not all HSPs are empaths. Dr. Orloff said that an empath indeed carries all of the attributes of an HSP but with more developed intuition and a sponge-like ability for absorbing emotions. "You turn up the volume going from HSP to empath," Dr.
Learn the 6 Sensitivity Types: Mental, Emotional, Physical, Chemical, Social & Energetic.